Boat support



Dec. 7, 1965 E. H. GRONLUND BOAT SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 7, 1963 woh @Lwm Dec. 7, 1965 E. H. GRONLUND BOAT SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 7, 1963 62nd, 41 m United States Patent 3,221,899 BGAT SUPFORT Ernst H. Gronlund, 107 St. Clair River Drive, Algonac, Mich. Filed Nov. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 322,156 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates to a boat support and particularly to a boat support provided for the water edge of a stream or lake and one that is of the ramp type and may be portable.

An object is to provide such a boat support upon which a boat may be run for a part of its length and then drawn completely thereupon, and the support may then be tilted to elevate the boat entirely above the water level.

Another object is the provision of a boat support of the character described which is adapted to be disposed adjacent to the water edge of a body of water. The support is so constructed that it may be tilted so that one end thereof is depressed into a submerged position in the water adjacent to the water edge to receive a boat which may be run up partially thereupon as upon a ramp. The boat may then be drawn up the remainder of the way upon the support. The support is pivotally mounted so that it will tilt and swing the boat clear above the water and support the same out of the water.

A further object is the provision of a boat support of the character specified which may be disposed adjacent to the edge of a body of water and upon which a boat may be mounted and lifted out of the water so as not to be subjected to the pounding it might otherwise receive due to waves washing up on the shore and alternately lifting and dropping the boat.

A further object is the provision of a boat support as hereinabove described which comprises a frame upon which the boat is directly mounted, which frame is provided with a bow support and a stern support, and wherein the frame is pivotally mounted upon such supports for swingable movement with respect thereto.

More particularly, the frame is pivotally mounted on the stern support for tiltable movement to depress its stern end into the water to discharge a boat thereinto or to receive a boat therefrom, or to depress its bow end and lift its stern end to place the entire boat in a substantially level position clear of the water.

Another object is the provision of a boat support of the character described wherein the frame which directly supports the boat is so connected with its front end support and with its rear end support that the frame may be adjusted up and down with respect to both or either of said supports for positioning of the boat at varying heights with respect to the water level and is so connected with both supports as to provide fore and aft adjustment of the frame with respect to the supports.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description, claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of my boat support with a boat mounted thereupon;

FIG. 2 is a view looking upwardly at the bottom of a boat supported upon the frame portion of the boat support; and

FIG. 3 is a stern view of a boat mounted upon the boat support.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a front support 12 in the form of an upright post or the like set into the ground adjacent to the edge of a body of water such as a river or lake.

There is a rear support indicated as 22 having a base 24 which base rests upon the bottom of the river or lake underneath the water and adjacent to the water edge and 3,221,899 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 is shiftable as to position with respect to the river or lake bed.

There is a frame 10 which is of a generally triangular shape and comprises a pair of side frame members indicated as 10a and 1%. This frame or platform may be formed of metal channel or angle construction, or it might be of wood. Any suitable material may be used.

The front end of the frame is adjustably connected with the upright post 12. Such post is shown as provided with a vertically spaced series of apertures 14 through which a supporting pin 16 or the like may be selectively inserted. The frame is provided with a pair of forwardly projecting spaced plates 20 secured to opposite sides of the frame at its front end. These plates are slotted as at 18 to receive the pin therethrough. It is apparent then that the front end of the frame may be elevated or lowered with respect to the post 12 as the frame swings about its pivotal connection with the rear support 22 and it may be shiftably raised or lowered by moving the positioning pin 16.

The rear support is shown more in detail in FIG. 3. The two upright standards 22 are secured to the base as illustrated and braced in position by brace elements 25. The frame 10 adjacent to these rear supports is provided with a platform secured to the frame and reinforcing and extending it as illustrated. The platform has side elements 25 connected together and to the frame by a cross piece 27 at their rear ends, and secured to the respective side frame members 10a and 1012 by plates 29 at their front ends.

The frame is swingably pivoted to the uprights 22, by pins 30 pivotally connecting the platform side pieces 25 to the uprights, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 particularly. It is to be noted that the side pieces 25 of this sub-frame are provided with a series of apertures 28 arranged linearly thereof and spaced apart so that the frame may be adjusted with respect to the uprights 22 fore and aft. The rear support indicated by the upright standard 22 and base 24 may also of course be moved fore and aft of the frame as desired. Due to this pivotal mounting, the entire frame may be tilted about these pivot pins 30 to elevate or depress either end of the frame. The frame is provided with two pairs of rear rollers 32 which are spaced apart and mounted upon the rear ends of the frame members 10a and 10b as shown particularly in FIG. 2.

Spaced forwardly of the rear rollers 32 are three spaced apart center line rollers 34. The rear one is arranged and carried by the cross member 27 of the platform hereinabove described. The intermediate one is carried by transverse strut 33 which extends between the same two side frame members and secured thereto as are the other transverse struts. The three forward rollers are supported to engage the keel or center line longitudinal bottom of the boat hull. The two pairs of rear rollers 32 are supported to engage the bottom of the hull on opposite sides from the keel.

The frame carries at its forward end a support formed by the two generally upright elements 35 and 36 which project upwardly and somewhat forwardly from the front end of the frame and are connected at their upper ends. A winch 38 is mounted upon this upright structure and a line 40 extends from such winch over a roller 42 and may be detachably connected to a fitting 41 secured to the bow of the boat.

When it is desired to mount a boat upon this support, the forward end of the frame may be uncoupled from the pin 16 and lifted upwardly pivoting about the pins 30. The pin 16 may then be moved to an upper pin aperture 14, and the frame will be supported in a tilted position with its rear depressed toward or submerged below the surface of the water. The bow of the boat may then be driven part way up over the submerged rear end of the frame and by means of the cable 40 and winch 38 arrangement, the boat may be drawn up onto the frame over the rollers until the forward end of the frame weighted by the boat is overbalanced and tilts downwardly lifting the rear end of the frame out of the water. The forward end of the frame may then have its supporting pin 16 so adjusted that the frame will support the entire boat above the water level.

To launch the boat this operation is reversed and the forward end of the frame is elevated and the boat is allowed to slide or is shoved rearwardly off of the frame into the water.

It is apparent that the boat frame support, which is of a ramp-like character in its functioning, may be moved from one position to another. The rear support is obviously portable and the front support might be secured to any front post 12 or such post might itself be portable as by mounting on a weighted base if desired.

What I claim is:

1. A water edge boat support comprising, in combination: upright bow supporting means adjacent to the water edge, upright stern supporting means spaced outwardly toward the water from said upright bow supporting means, a boat carrying frame pivotally mounted on the stern supporting means for tiltable movement of the frame thereabout, said frame releasably connected with the bow support by forwardly extending spaced apart portions having linear slots to receive a pin carried by the bow support to permit adjustment of the front end of the frame up and down with respect to the bow support to pivotally tilt the frame about its pivotal connection with the stern supporting means.

2. A water edge boat support comprising, in combination: upright bow supporting means adjacent to the water edge, upright stern supporting means spaced outwardly toward the water from said upright bow supporting means provided with vertically spaced apertures, a boat carrying frame pivotally mounted upon the stern supporting means about pins inserted in said stern supporting means, apertures providing vertical adjustment of the stern portion of the frame on said stern supporting means, said frame releasably connected with the bow support to permit raising and lowering of the front end of the frame to pivotally tilt the frame about its pivotal connection with the stern supporting means.

3. The water edge boat support defined in claim 2 wherein the boat carrying frame adjacent the stern support means is provided with linearly spaced apertures to receive said pins for pivotal movement and allow horizontal adjustment of the boat carrying frame toward and away from the water edge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,759,922 5/1930 Templeton 248-393 2,550,230 4/1951 Dalton 214-505 2,708,045 5/1955 ShOntz 214-506 2,754,017 7/1956 Hart 2l4505 2,848,126 8/1958 Taylor 214-506 3,035,728 5/1962 Hecker 214505 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner, 

1. A WATER EDGE BOAT SUPPORT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: UPRIGHT BOW SUPPORTING MEANS ADJACENT TO THE WATER EDGE, UPRIGHT STERN SUPPORTING MEANS SPACED OUTWARDLY TOWARD THE WATER FROM SAID UPRIGHT BOW SUPPORTING MEANS, A BOAT CARRYING FRAME PIVOTALLY MOUNTED OF THE STERN SUPPORTING MEANS FOR TILTABLE MOVEMENT OF THE FRAME THEREABOUT, SAID FRAME RELEASABLY CONNECTED WITH THE BOW SUPPORT BY FORWARDLY EXTENDING SPACED APART PORTIONS HAVING LINEAR SLOTS TO RECEIVE A PIN CARRIED BY THE BOW SUPPORT TO PERMIT ADJUSTMENT OF THE FRONT END OF THE FRAME UP AND DOWN WITH RESPECT TO THE BOW SUPPORT TO PIVOTALLY TILT THE FRAME ABOUT ITS PIVOTAL CONNECTION WITH THE STERN SUPPORTING MEANS. 